that afterwards many great persons in the very Church also greatly liked it and set it abroach Touching the Gentils d Cicero in Hortensio apud Aug. contra Iuliâ— an l. 4. c. 12. 15. Tully himselfe professed his approbation of this opinion namely that we were borne into this wretched worlde for some fowle matters coÌ„mitted before in a former world to suffer punishmeÌ„t here for the same Who also compares mans case herein to that of those which fel into the hands of theeues of Tuscany meÌ„tioned by Aristotle who were dealt with after this lamentable manner The one halfe of them were left aliue the other halfe murthered then the living were bound backe to backe to the dead and so rotted with them and that even so our soules were coupled with our bodies as the living with the dead for the greater torment And as for Divines in the Church that they also applauded to this invention and vaine imagination appeareth by the testimonie of S. e Hieronim epist 8 ad Demetriad Ierem who warneth a religious woman of his time to take heed of the Origenists who vsed to buzze into the eares of the simpler that very reason coÌ„strained them to beleeue that mens soules had lived in heaven first and that for some old faults committed there they were punished here adiudged to be put into bodies as into prisons and to doe penance in this vale of teares And the reason that constrained them to bee of this minde was forsooth that yong children many times were borne deformed and monstrous were subiect to sicknesse and greevous pangs often times were punished with death it selfe before they had actually offended which could notstaÌ„d with Gods iustice vnlesse they had sinned before their comming into the world The vanitie of which imagination shall God willing appeare hereafter Thus they seeling this part of mans misery and not knowing the cause thereof runne into many sottish errors f August â—bi supta hac sâ—â—ct lit margin d. as S. Augustine saith of Tullie Hee sawe the thing but knew not the cause of it 4 And as for the cause of the other and greater evill namely sinne the generall opinion and conceit was that it proceeded only either from il education or at the least from mans bad husbanding of his owne free will which was equally inclinable to good or evill Which if they had vnderstood of the first man Adara when he fell had beene true and sound but of this they never dreamed They thought that man considered in the state of corrupt nature or as hee is now of himselfe was without sinne by birth and had equall power to do good or evill to be vertuous or vitious and as I said that it was only bad education and imitation of the bad or bad imploiment of his freewill naturall faculties of his soule that made him naught in which errour wee finde the very best and wisest to haue been g Cie Aead quae 〈◊〉 lib. â—woudâ— Tusculan lib. 4. The Stoicks the best of all Philosophers for moralitie were so blinded herein that they thought even good and lawfull affections to be meerely of ill custome not of nature much more that corrupt and evill affections were so And h Seneca epist 22. Seneca brings in nature complaining of her children as degenerate and telling them that she brought the forth with out passions and evill desires lusts without feares without superstition without trechery the like i Seneca c. pist 116. in an other place makes this the only cause that we are naught because wee vvill not vse the streÌ„gth which nature hath giveÌ„ vs to shake of our vices which is abundantly sufficient to doe it Not to bee willing saith hee is the cause hereof but not to be able is made the pretence and colour Chap 5. Sect. 8. We shal haue occasion * hereafter to speake more of this blindnes and madnesse of the Gentils touching the cause of this part of mans miserie namely sinne when wee shal come to handle the remedies which they prescribed for the same And as for the falshoode thereof it shall bee shewed * in place convenient Chap. 6. Sect 4. CHAP. 4. That as the Gentiles knewe not the true cause of maÌ„s misery so nether did they know the vtmost height of it 1 AS wee haue seene in the former Chapter that the blinde heatheÌ„s knew not the cause of mans misery so it resteth to bee here declared that they knew not the true measure and greatnes thereof nay were meerly ignorant of many principall branches of it 2 One speciall point of our miserie is that by sinne we incurre the displeasure of God and become liable to his wrath and vengeance who by nature is an adversary to all sinne and sinners Chap. 3. sect 1. as hath beene * before shewed at large But this the heathens apprehended not For not only a Ovid. Amor lib 3. eleg 3. de arte amandi lib. 1. the profane Poet imagined that God did wincke at mens sins yea allow them nay laugh at them but also the chiefe Philosophers thought taught that God was not offended with any thing that meÌ„ did much lesse would punish it b Sen. ep 31. Seneca the most morall of them and the wonder of wit tels vs that no man knowes God and that many thinke ill of him and that without any danger In c Idem de bene ficiâ—s lib. 7. c. 1. another place hee thinkes hee hath spoken wisely when he speakes most beastly saying that one principall point for the attainement of perfect happinesse is to shake of all feare of God and man and to resolue that we are not to feare much from man but froÌ„ God nothing at all d Idem de ira l. 2. c. 27. In another that there are some that haue neither will nor power to hurt as the Gods whose nature is wholy mild and gentle and who are of power only to relieue and cherish but not to annoy or affl ct And e Plutarch tractat de superstit another famous both for his learning and diligence yea for his vertue too so far as heathnish blindnes would permit makes it flat superstition to thinke that God would hurt any being superlatiuely good yea goodnes it selfe both being childishly deceived in this that they thought that for God to punish anie for their wickednes and to do harme were all one * See Tertul cent Marciâ— on lib. 2. c. 14. Lactant de ira Dei cap. 17. whereas it is a maine branch of his goodnes to hate evil take vengeance on evill doers Without the which no earthly Prince deserues the name nor can maintaine the reputation of good 3 Secondly they bewraye most grosse ignorance touching mans misery in this that they thinke it is all ended by death whereas the far greater and more grievous part thereof followeth after death as we haue
be Gods equall ceased not only to be his sonne but also his servant and became the servant of sinne and Sathan And what a miserie it is to be in bondage vnto sin yea what an evil sin of it seâ—fe is Chapt. 〈◊〉 sect 5. 6. hath * already beene sufficiently declared CHAP. 7. The true remedies which Christian Religion affordeth against the first kind of mans miserie that is the evils of paine 1 VVHat poore cold comfort naturall meÌ„ yea the best of naturall men and as it were the flower of them haue beene able to finde out against mans double miserie namely the evils of paine and the evils of fault that is the evils which he suffereth and the evils which hee doth sufficiently appeareth by things * before spoken Chap. 5. throughout Let vs now see what better reliefe and remedy true religion yeeldeth vs in that behalfe As for the evils of faulte that is sinne the cause of all evils of paine the remedy that Christianity affordeth vs is free pardon of our sinnes and reconciliation to God by faith in Iesus Christ As for the evils of paine they are of two sorts either of temporary paine in this world or of eternall paine in the world to come The remedies against the former namely temporary paines in this world are the gratious change of them vnto many profitable vses the remedie against the latter namely eternall paines in the world to come is all one with the remedie against the evils of faulte or sinnes For the same mercy of God which frees vs from sinne doth withall free vs from the eternall punishment due vnto sinne and therefore I will ioine them both in one in the next Chapter For howsoever the strict lawes of order require I shoulde first speake of the evils of fault as the cause of all evill of paine and then of the evils of paine that proceede there of that is first of sinne and then of the punishments for sinne yet because the evils of paine that is punishments for sinne specially temporary punishments whereof I only intreate here that is the miseries and afflictions of this life are more sensible to our nature then the evils of fault that is than sinnes themselues as also because they be the lesser evils of the two howsoever more felt I rather regarding the conveniencie of matter than curiosity of methode wil speake of them first 2 The first consolation then against all worldly miseries is this that whereas of themselues they are tokens of Gods wrath displeasure and a part of his iustice vpon sinners beginning in this world and ending in the worlde to come or rather to speake properly never ending and are a tast and as it were fore-runners of hell torments now cleane contrary vnto all that are in Christ and by faith in Christ stand reconciled vnto God whereof by Gods assistance wee shall â—eare more at large in the next Chapter they are signes and pledges of his loue and favour A strange alteration that they which before vvere heralds of defiance shoulde now bee messengers of peace and proclaimers of amity and loue yet that the case thus standeth is manifest by Gods expresse testimonies My sonne saith a Prov. 3 11. 12. Salomon that is God by Salomon despise not the chastisement of the Lord nor be wearie of his correction For the Lord correcteth every one that he loueth as a father doth the sonne to whom he wisheth good And the b Heb. 12.5 6. Vers 7. 8. Apostle repeating it almost word for word * inferreth out of it by necessary consequence that affliction beeing the badge of all Gods sonnes therefore they that tasted not of it were bastardes and not sonnes And so c Apoc. 3.19 Christ himselfe professeth to the Church of Laodicea that hee dealt thus with all that he loved namelie that he exercised them with affliction As many saith he as I loue I rebuke and chastise Thus all afflictions worldly crosses to the faithful are so many tokens sent from heaven to earth from God to man from Christ to the Christian to assure vs of loue and favor who would not be glad nay prowd to receiue loue tokens from an earthlie king how much more from the king of heaven 3 Secondly it is to be considered that these evils of paine are not only comfortable for testification but also proficable in operation bring forth most notable effects in the godly So saith d Ps 119. v. 67. 71. David Before I was afflicted went astray but now doe I keepe thy commandements And againe It is good for mee that I haue heene in trouble that thereby I might learne thy statutes And e Heb. 12.10 the holy Apostle is bold to say that God chastiseth vs for our good that wee may be made partakers of his holinesse novve all chastâ—semeÌ„t for the present seemeth not to be ioyous but grievous but afterward it bringeth the quiet fruit of righteousnes to them that are exercised thereby And f Rom. 5. â— 3.4.5 S. Paule goeth yet further affirming that afflictions to those that are in Christ minister matter not only of profit but also of glorie Therefore saith hee Wee glory in tribulation knowing that tribulation bringeth patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed 4 And hence it is that Divines reach that afflictions to speak properly vnto the godly are not punishmeÌ„ts but ought to bee tearmed by some other name So saith g Chrysost in 1. Corin. hom 28. S. Chrysostome wee are not punished but instructed so that our affliction is for admonition not for condemnation for Physicke not for torment for correction not for vexatioÌ„ That is in a word all our tribulations are for instructioÌ„ not for destruction 5 The very heatheÌ„s could see that some benefit did grow from trouble miserie As first that it was a counterpoyson against the danngers of too much prosperity as pride riot wantonnes and the like which haue been the bane of many men h Herod l. 3 Amasis king of Aegypt desired that he his might tast of adversity and vnderstanding of the incomparable prosperity of Policrates Prince of Samos who was so luckie in all his affaires that when of purpose he had cast his signet that had in it an Emerald of wondrous value into the sea he had it brought to him again in the belly of a fish that shortly after was served in at his table hee presently renounced the amitie and league that had beene long betweene them suspecting that some great mischiefe would befall him wherein hee would be loath to share with him as indeede it fell out for being craftily trained into the hands of his enemies he was crucified aliue Yea i Iuvenal Satyr 6. the verie Poet observed and complained * Heu patimur longae pacis malasaevior armis Luxuria incumbit c. that in his time they were even
Now although the laws of Method order require that I should first speak of the first namely the evils of faulte as being the cause of the later to weet the evils of paine yet because we are more moved with the punishments of sinne then with sin it selfe I will begin with that which is most sensible applying my selfe herein to our corruption and grosnesse 2 The evils of paine are of tvvo sorts For the punishment of sin is either temporall to weete all the miseries of this present life or eternall that is to say the tormentes of hell in the life to come The former are so palpable that the meere natural man feeles them grones vnder the burden of them as the complaints of the very heathen manifestly testifie b Sen. praefat in natural questioÌ„ Seneca the miracle of nature for morall learning cries out thus Ah what a base and abiect creature is maÌ„ except he advaÌ„ce lift vp himselfe aboue maÌ„ that is aboue the condition and state of man c Plin. natural hist l. 2 cap. 7. An other saies that this only is certaine that nothing is certaine and that there is not a more miserable nor yet for all that a more proude creature than man And d Idem lib. 7 in prooem againe that it is vncertaine whether nature bee a kinder mother or harder step mother to maÌ„ kind e Cic. de repub lib. 3. apud August contra Iulian lib. 4 c. 14 15 A third renowned for his learning and eloquence complaines that Nature hath brought man forth into the world not as a mother but as a step mother with a body naked weake and sickly and a minde distracted with cares deiected with feares faint for labour and addicted to lust and pleasures And hence grew that coÌ„mon speech among the Gentils related by f Aristot in Eudemo apud Plutare consolat ad Apolon Aristotle repeated g Cic. Tuâ—c quaest lib. 1. by Cicero h Plut. ibid. Plutarch fathered by all three vpoÌ„ Silenus that the best thing in the world was not to be borne the next to die soonest And i Senec. coÌ„solat ad Polyb e 28. Seneca againe exclaimes that our whole life is a penance Which the Thracians confirmed by their practise celebrating their childreÌ„s birth with wee ping and lamentatioÌ„ but their death with ioy mirth as k Herodot lib. 5. Solin Poly. hist cap. 15 Val Maxim lib. 2 cap. 6. divers ancient writers recorde thereby insinuating that our life was nothing but miserie and death the ende of miserie But l Bern de consid l. 2. a ChristiaÌ„ author more effectually expresseth this point thus in substance that if the greatest man in the world do in a holy meditatioÌ„ strip himselfe out of his robes and ornaments of state which hee neither brought into the world with him at his birth nor shall carrie out of the world with him at his death he shall find himselfe to be nothing but a man naked poore pitcous and to be pitied lamenting that he is a man blushing that he is naked weeping that hee is borne and murmuring that he is at all 3 And thus much in generall for particularitie would bee infinite of mans misery in regard of temporall paine which is all that the heathen infidel apprehendeth For as for any eternall punishment for sinne after this life hee never dreames of it nay makes a iest of it as wee by Gods assistance shall see * hereafter Chap. 4 Sect. 3. 4. But the Christian proceedeth further and touching evills of paine is most troubled with feare of eternal punishment for sinne in the world to come Hee hath learned out of Gods word m Exod. 20. v. 5. that God is a iealous God and full of indignation when he is dishonoured and we knowe that ielousie is the anger of angers n Exod. 34. v. 7. that the will in no wise absolue the wicked and vngogly o Hab. 1. v. 13 that his eies are so pure that they cannot endure to beholde iniquitie p Rom. 2 v. 6 that hee rewardeth every man accerding to his workes q Vers 9. that tribulation and anguish shall bee vpon every soule that sinneth that the sinner daily heapeth vp wrath against the day of wrath and declaration of the righteous iudgement of God Å¿ Heb. 10. vers 31. that it is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the living God t Rom 5. vers 12. that death came into the world by sinne u Rom. 6. vers 21. and is the end reward of sinne x Heb. 9. vers 27. that after death commeth iudgement y 2. Cor. 5. vers 10. and that we must all appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ to receiue our meed according to that which wee haue done in the flesh whether it bee good or evill z Matth. 8. vers 12. Marc. 9. v. that whosoever shall be condemned in this iudgement shall bee cast for ever into vtter darknes where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth a Aug. in locos aliquot ep ad Rom. numero 42. Finally the Christian considers as Saint Augustine saies that every man by sinning selleth his soule to the devil taking the svveetnesse of temporarie pleasure for the price thereof And thus much for the evils of paine that make mans state so miserable 5 The seconde braunch of mans miserie are the evils of fault or his sinnes which indeede is the greatest part of his miserie although commonly it be least felt and the Infidel scarse feeles it at all For as b Sen. ep â—8 a Heathen himselfe well observed Men are not greaved for their faults before they be greeved with the bad successe of their faults that is they are not sorie for doing ill but for speeding ill not that they are naught but that they are wretched in a word they greeue that they are miserable not that they are wicked and worthie to be miserable that they are punished not that they haue deserved to bee punished Which is verified not only in the common sort of whome he meant it but of the best amongst the Gentils yea of himselfe too For howsoever they seeme to teach sometimes that vice is an evill of it selfe as c Plato de Repub l 4. Plato divinely affirmes that no man can doe wrong to another but first hee must doe wrong to himselfe and d Plutarch quod solum vitium sufficiat ad hominem miserum reddendum another hath writteÌ„ a whole Treatise to proue that vice alone is sufficient to make a man miserable which worke of his is pittifully mangled by iniurie of time yet they only apprehend vice as a political or at the most a morall evill a politicall evill for as much as it made men subiect to punishment and obnoxious to publike iustice or as a morall evill that stained and impaired their reputatioÌ„ and
did first thee make From whom as long as thou dost stray In vaine thou seekest rest to take And shame not vnto him to flie Nor let not terror hope confound Although thy sinnes for vengeance cry Yet grace shall more than sinne abound MVNITION AGAINST MANS MISERY AND Mortalitie CHAP. 1. The vanity of all knowledge without the right knowledge of ourselues CVRIOSITY that is excessiue care for thinges impertinent and litle or no care for thinges important is a vice so grosse and sensible that the very Gentils by the light of nature in part perceived it and so farre as they perceived it reproved and condemned it a Plut. de Curiositate One of theÌ„ hath written a whole treatise of this argument b â—encca ad Luc epist 1. An other complaines that a great part of our life slideth avvaie while we doe evill things a greater while we do nothing the greatest of all while we doe things impertinent and that concerne vs not No marvaile then if the sonnes of light that is they that haue beene called to the saving knowledge of God in Christ reveiled by the Gospel haue so sharply censured this vice as c August de Trin. l. 4. c 1. one of them doth in this maner The knowledge of the world for the most part is accompanied with arrogancie and curiositie whence it coÌ„meth to passe that the world is ignor an t of things necessarie to be knowne because it learneth things needlesse to be knowne Alas what folly is it for men to take such paines in the search of thinges that as the d Sen. ep 45 sage Gentill saith neither hurt him that is ignorant of them nor profitte him that knowes them in the mean season neglect the things that tend to their true happines can only procure their sound comfort content at whome e Bernat de Consid l. 4. Bernard iustly scoffeth Doubtlesse saith he they very wisely weigh and measure things who haue greatest care for the smallest things and small or no care for the greatest thinges But the checke which f Luk. 10 v. 41.43 our Lord Iesus Christ himself giveth to this fault in reproving Martha that in some sort was guilty thereof should most moue vs. Martha Martha saith he thou art troubled about many things one thing is necessarie Marie hath chosen the good part which shall not be takeÌ„ from her 2 And this vice vanitie is so much the greater because not only the knowledge of things meerely impertinent and superfluous is vnprofitable without the knowledge of those things that belong to our true happinesse but even the knowledge of things in part and in some degree necessary is so also * Grammar What is the skill of Grammar worth to know how to speake by rule Rhetorick and in the meane season to liue without rule * What a vaileth the art of Rhetoricke that our language be eloquent Logiek and our manners barbarous * What good can Logicke do vs to be perfit in art of reasoning and yet that all our actions courses are without reason yea flat repugnant to reason to bee so armed therwith that words shal not deceiue vs and all the while to bee deceived with things themselues with covetousnes vnder pretence of thrift and good husbandry with prodigality vnder colour of liberality with crueltie vnder shew of severitie and so forth which are the most pernicious errors of all Artithmetick and farre exceede all sophisticall fallacies of words * What benefit can Arithmeticke yeeld vs to be able to number all other things to haue no care to number either our many sinnes or our few daies in this traÌ„sitory life Geometry * What can Geometrie availe vs if we bee cunning in measuring all other things and yet to set no measure nor prescribe any bounds to our infinite affections and passions to keepe no measure either in our hopes or feares prosperity or adversitie ioies or sorrowes Musicke * What can Musicke steed vs to discerne between concords and discords of sounds to be pleased with the former and offended with the latter and yet to haue our whole life consist of nothing but discordes iarring not only with others but also with our selues having desires contrary to desires resolutioÌ„s contrary to resolutions * What will knowledge in Physicke advantage vs Physicke if we haue learned what medicine or receipt is good against the gout the dropsie the stone and other bodilie maladies and yet haue no remedy for anger envie lust covetousnes and other diseases of the minde To conclude * What are we the better to be never so learned Lawyers Law and able to pleade never so sufficiently either in our owne or other mens causes for debts houses lands and the like to haue never a word to say for our selus wheÌ„ we must plead for our own souls how our infinite debt towards God in regard of our innumerable sins may be discharged and our title to a heavenly inheritance maintained iustified 3 Now if the knowledge of things in their place and degree necessarie be so vnavailable and of so smal accouÌ„t without the knowledge of those things which belong to our everlasting happinesse and welfare much more is the knowledge of things superfluous vnprofitable and meerely vaine It behoveth vs then to haue speciall care to knowe those thinges which so deepely concerne vs and to make vse of that excellent speech * Aeschylus of the very prophane Greek Poet that he is wise not who knowes many things but who knowes profitable things and doubtlesse true it is which a famonâ— Christian author wrote long agoe that g August do trin l. 4. c. 1. that soule is more to bee commended which knowes her owne infirmity then that which not knowing this labors to knowe the compasse of the world the courses of the starres the bottome of the earth the height of the heavens Digressions in speech and words are odious much more indeeds and action and not only odious but also dangerous and pernicious And yet if wee duely examine our courses wee shall finde our whole life to bee nothing else but digressions and impertinencies and it is greatly to bee lamented that many thousands even of those that professe christianity go out of the world before they consider wherefore they came into it CHAP. 2. A generall consideration of mans miserie 1. OF what importance the knowledge of our selues is we haue heard in the former Chapter Nowe this knowledge of our selues consists in these two points the knowledge of our misery and of the remedies against our misery Our misery is two folde or lieth in two kindes of evils the evils which we doe and the evils which we suffer or as a Tertull contra Marcion l. 2. c. 14. Divines long agoe haue distinguished them the evils of fault the evils of paine that is sinne and the punishment of sinne
is follie for a man to die for feare of death and a Martial epigt lib 22. epigram 80 another saies it is madnesse * Hic rogo no â—uror est ne moriare moâ—iâ— I pray thee saith he is not this madnes to dy least thou shouldst die Others haue seene the vnlawfulnes hereof namely b Cicero de senect in somnio Scipionis that this is to forsake the standing wherein God our Generall hath placed vs and to refuse shun the office which God hath assigned vs in this world c Arist Eth lib 3. cap. 7. others obserue the basenesse of it that it is a token of a coward and not of a valiant man sith valure consists in a patient enduring of al extremities And therfore d Martial epigram the very profane Poet scoffes at Cato for killing himselfe of whom we haue heard before truely affirming that it is an easie matter to coÌ„teÌ„ne death in our misery that he is the valiant maÌ„ that caÌ„ patietly beare miserie Yea e Virgil Aed lib. 6. some haue gone farther and seene the danger hereof also namely that it is punished in the life to come placing those that haue offended that way in hell that in such torments as they wish themselues backe againe vpon that condition would be content to endure al the miseries incident to this life Lo the poore remedies that nature can teach vs against this first kinde of evils namely the evils which we suffer 5 Now touching the evils which wee do which as hath beene shewed we should hold the greatest as naturall men haue lesse knowne and felt them than the former so haue they beene lesse either carefull or able to finde out any sound and effectuall remedies against them nay I may boldly speake it that as they giue vs foolish Physicke against the former so they giue vs ranck poison against the later And as it fals out in bodily diseases that iâ— the Physitian mistake the causes of them they apply medicines cleane contrary and such as exasperate the evill not asswage it so it fareth with the maladies of the minde if they that professe skil to cure them erre in the originall ground of them insteed of healing them they poyson them and make them far worse 6 The guilt of sinne which al men carry in their bosome tels them that sinne needes some purgation and expiation or else they must incurre the indignation and vengeance of God But when it comes to particulars what the true meanes of delivering vs from the danger of sinne should be here the wit of man is a ground and vtterly amazed and confounded and the best remedies it can devise in this case are either foolish as wee haue seene they were against the first kind of evils namely of paire or els impious and wicked 7 f See Natal Comes Mythiol l. 1. c. 11.12 Some thought that sinne was blotted out Gods wrath appeased by offering of flowers franckincense and other sweere perfumes but suppose that every meane person coulde be as liberal that way as Alexander the great g Plutarch Apopht Regum Imperat who vsed to sacrifice with so much franckincense at a time that Leonidas his steward reproved him for it telling him that hee must first conquer the country where frankincense grew before he wasted it so prodigally suppose I say every man could be so costly in that respect yet who that is well advised can dreame that the sweet smell of hearbs perfumes can take away the filthy stinke of sinne Others thought by certain washigns with peculiar hallowed waters the filth of sinn was washt away as if that which made the skin cleane made the heart also cleane and that purifie the minde which never came neere the minde Others truely iudging these cures to bee light and superficial though it must be death and bloud at least that must do away sinne vsually killed beasts of al sorts in great abundance and sacrificed them to appease Gods anger and make satisfaction for their transgressions But heare againe reason awaked will tell vs that if all men còuld bee as bountifull as Iulian the Roman Emperour vsually was h Ammian Marcellin lib. 25. of whom the iest went that if he had returned with victorie in his last actions against the Parthians the very kinde and race of buls oxen and kyne would haue beene extinguished by meanes of his monstrous excesse in sacrificing of beasts if I say everie man could and should be at such cost that way yet what strange blindnesse were it to thinke that the bloud of beasts could purge the sinnes of men or that man should commit the fault and beastes should beare the punishment of it 8 But the remedies which the natural man devised against this second branch of our misery namely sinne were not only foolish but also wicked pernicious For first some looking further into the matter and considering that it was no reason that man should offende and beastes should be punished die for his offences perceived that in all equitie man must be punished for the faults of man i See Natal Comes Mythol l. 1. c. 8. And therefore most nations vsed to sacrifice certaine men at certaine times of the yeare to make an atonement for the sinnes of all the rest So k Plutarch tractat de supeâ—stit the Carthaginians sacrificed their own childreÌ„ to Saturne being present thereat and looking on and such as had no children of their owne bought the children of the poorer sort as if they had beene lambs or goates and the order was that the very mothers of them must be present at the sacrifice without making any shewe of sorrowe or compassion at the sight and if they did they forfeited the price of them and yet their children were sacrificed neverthelesse The wickednes whereof is so palpable that l Silius Ita li cus lib. 4. Lucret lib. 2. some of the heathenish idolatours theÌ„selues perceived it and cried out against it yea m Plutarch quo supra some were so moved therwith that they disputed the point whether Atheisme were not far better then superstition and much inclined to the affirmatiue part n Lucret. quo supra Others here vpon directly became Atheists crying out that religion was the cause of all impiety And which is yet more strange the Gentils were so blinde in this point that some of them o Strab. 〈◊〉 as the Leucades yearly made choice of some notorious malefactour sacrifized him for the vvhole as though his death could expiate the sins of others who had deserved many deathes for his owne sinnes vvhereas indeede p Bernard ad Milites templi c. 4. the death of the best man now in the state of sinne cannot profit an other siâ—h every man oweth a death for himself But as hath beene said this remedy is not only foolish vnprofitable but also impious and